CNN Hires Erick Erickson As a “Political Contributor”

The point here isn’t that it’s disappointing to see CNN hire yet another conservative voice, adding to its already-large stable of conservative voices. To be sure, it’s frustrating, but it’s nothing new.

The problem here is with Erickson himself.

For example, it wasn’t long ago when Erickson explained his belief on why the left has a stronger online presence than the right. He attributed it to an asymmetry in free time, since conservatives “have families because we don’t abort our kids, and we have jobs because we believe in capitalism.”

This is the same Erickson who recently called retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter a “goat f–king child molester,” referred to two sitting U.S. senators as “healthcare suicide bombers,” praised protesters for “tell[ing] Nancy Pelosi and the Congress to send Obama to a death panel” (he later backpedaled on that one), and described President Obama’s Nobel Prize as “an affirmative action quota.”

And perhaps my personal favorite was the time, just last year, when Erickson was angry about new environmental regulations relating to dishwasher detergent. He told his readers, “At what point do the people tell the politicians to go to hell? At what point do they get off the couch, march down to their state legislator’s house, pull him outside, and beat him to a bloody pulp for being an idiot?”

There was a point when major professional outlets would look at a voice like this as an “extremist,” to be shut out of the mainstream of America’s civil discourse. CNN, however, considers this record of radical rhetoric, and concludes it should pay him to offer on-air political commentary.

CNN is touting the hire as a way to reach the small town “real ‘Murkins” that Erick rubs elbows with every day. Except Erick lives in a city of 100,000, doesn’t really hang out with “the little people” and has a long history of idiotic posts at his RedState site. … it’s only a matter of time before some industrious bloggers start unearthing the comedy gold in his archives. In fact, it’s already beginning.

Eric Martin recalls one gem that, in the present context, stands out from the rest:

Then there was the time he accused that news organization of “convey[ing] terrorist propaganda.” The news organization being…CNN (via). And it’s not like he has a great grasp of American history, or civics for that matter.

But pointing out that Erickson is an extremely partisan and ideological hack who seeks to destroy honest discussions means that you are an ideological left-wing fascist who wants to destroy dissent. CNN is being “edgy” and “free-thinking”, and you are a meany old mean person who wants the media to stay “liberal”.

No, seriously though – your media is actively trying to destroy your country and everyone who rewards them with ratings for promoting more ideological insanity and chaos are useless morons and sheep who deserve all the instability they get.

Slowly but surely, market logic dominates more and more of your society, and if the only criterion for anything is the whims of people, society will only get cheaper, uglier and more sterile things to play with. Lowest common denominator, vulgarity. Some things should not be swayed by capitalism at all. Sometimes, people *shouldn't get what they want, because sometimes people are stupid and suck*. This is basic conservatism I'm applying here.